Fox is Willing to Reboot 'Firefly' Only if Joss Whedon Returns

Joss Whedon's Firefly is the poster child for shows that got cancelled too soon. Even though they eventually made a movie, the single season in 2002 remains a prominent part of the show's legacy; no one recommends Firefly without mentioning how "it only lasted one season," sometimes following that up with "because life's not fair."

Well, Fox still hasn't discounted bringing Firefly back even fifteen years later. Hidden in some Rotten Tomatoes coverage of last month's Television Critics Association (which news outlets only seemed to discover just recently - either way, it's worth reporting), the Fox Broadcasting President of Entertainment David Madden mentioned that Fox had some interest in reviving Firefly under certain conditions.

There was one big condition: Whedon had to come back before they would consider it, and Madden suspects Whedon is too busy making movies right now, with big name projects like Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron under his belt. While true, Whedon said back in 2015 that he'd like to, but the rights were complicated (Fox made the show, but Universal made Serenity) and he didn't want to get anyone's hopes up, like Madden has now done. Here's what Whedon said:

"But if we brought Firefly back, there would have to be so many pieces in the right place at the right time. I can never say, 'Oh, yeah, we might,' because then it will be on the internet that it's definitely happening."

But there are lots of things working in favor of a reboot: Whedon's not scheduled for any more time-consuming Marvel films, cast members like Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk still work together in Con Man, and the cast has openly wondered when Netflix would reboot the show. Firefly fans have spent over a decade being jaded about the show's return, but it sounds like the cast, crew, and network are all still onboard. They just have to get together and actually do it.